EnglandXReader A Pirate's Life for Me
by life-in-a-tree-house
Summary: AU; You have longed all your life to venture out to sea, but your parents absolutely forbid it. You struggle with this as you work day by day, until one day you finally get what you wish for. DISCONTINUED


**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own _Hetalia_ nor its characters. They all belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.

All right, so I've never actually done this before. It sort of just came to me, and I've seen lots of people writing them on dA, and couldn't quite resist... Hope someone likes it.

* * *

_"Papa, why do people fear the sea so much?" you, only six at the time, asked your father as you stared up at him. You were sitting on the dock as you looked at the sailors who came and left the docks near the two of you._

_Your father looked down at you and gave a small smile. "There are many reasons, dear. But I'd have to say one of the most feared things about going out to sea would have to be running into pirates."_

_"Pirates?" You looked up at your father with a rather interested stare as you tilted your head to the side in curiosity._

_He nodded. "Yes. Pirates are nothing but trouble. They raid villages, kill people without a second thought, and take anything they can get their grimy hands on. You must never come into contact with them for they will surely cause you great pain."_

_"Oh," was all you said as you looked to the sea. It had always caught your fascination, even at such a young age you wanted nothing more than to sail out into the vast waters. But people always seemed cautious about the ocean._

Why?_ you had thought at one time. _Why do people not like the ocean?

_But it wasn't that day when your father told you about pirates that you finally understood many peoples fear._

_"But I must say," your father suddenly said after a moment of silence, "I admire them the smallest bit."_

_You stared back up at your father, almost reluctantly as you wanted to keep staring out at the sea._

_"They live the life of a free man in a way. Following their dreams and doing anything they please. And they sail the sea with much pride."_

_You thought about what your father said and looked back at the docks._

Follow their dreams and doing anything they please while sailing the sea with pride…_ you thought._

_"But enough talk of pirates, we should be heading back now. Your mother will give us both an earful if we don't return back by sunset." Your father chuckled as he turned to leave._

_You stood up and took one more longing glance back at the ocean, the sun setting not far above it._

Maybe pirates aren't all bad_, was your final thought before walking away from the docks to follow your father home._

* * *

Your eyes fluttered open as you awoke to the sound of noises coming from the kitchen. You looked out your window to see the sun had almost completely risen from behind the hills in the far off distance. You stared a bit before you sat up and stretched, yawning. Getting up from your bed, you rubbed away the last sleepiness from your eyes as you quietly made your bed. You the walked out your bedroom and shut the door behind you before walking down the short and empty hallway to the kitchen where you saw your mother and father. Your father was sitting at the table, reading some papers while your mother held your one-year-old baby sister and cooked breakfast.

Saying a quick "good morning", you walked into the kitchen and took your baby sister from your mother's hands.

"Oh, why, thank you, dear." Your mother smiled before continuing to cook breakfast for you, your father, baby sister, and herself.

You smiled back and walked over to an open chair at the table and sat down, playing with your sister. She smiled and giggled, and you couldn't help but smile lovingly at her.

"Good morning, (Name)," your father said, looking up from his papers at you. You nodded at him and looked back to your sister to see her spouting out little spit bubbles from her mouth. She laughed and you grabbed a rag, wiping away the spit from her mouth and chin.

Soon after, your mother came to the table with some plates in her hands, smiling at the site of you and your baby sister. She set down the food on the table and took your little sister from you. You looked down at your meal and were about to eat when your father spoke.

"So, (Name), how is working at the docks going?" your father asked you.

You looked up from your plate and answered, "I suppose it is going smoothly, although, it is a bit difficult at times…"

"I'm surprised that you manage in such a place. The docks are no place for a lady." Your mother looked at you with a concerned look.

You shrugged. "You may be right, but I like working there, Mother. Working next to the ocean is amazing, and if I were to ever sail out to sea one day, I'm sure it would—"

"Now, now, (Name). You know what I have said about you going out to sea. It is dangerous out there. What if your ship were to be caught in a storm and was damaged out in the middle of the ocean? Or worse, pirates raided it?" Your father interrupted you, staring at you with a scornful look.

You looked down at your plate full of food again to feel your appetite depleting by the second. Of course, you understood your father's concerns, as your mother's. You were only an eighteen year old girl, disguising yourself as a boy (you had even thought up an alias for yourself) to work at the docks. You had begged your parents for a job there. If you were not allowed out to sea, then at least a job close to it would be satisfying enough.

But that wasn't the case anymore. At first, you were very much content with your job. Yes, it had been difficult at first, and being surrounded by dirty, sweaty men all day wasn't the best, but you liked working down at the docks. You could stare out at the ocean and take in the salty sea breeze. And after months of hard and determined work, the men never pestered you like they had before. You had, obviously, shown them that you were no mere weakling, but strong willed and determined, and that no mere teasing was going to stop you.

After about eight months of working, though, your job just wasn't starting to be what it used to. You still liked your job, but your yearning to go out to sea like all the ships you saw dock everyday had increased, especially much over your younger years.

You ate your food, even though you were not very hungry, in silence. Then, you took your plate to the kitchen and washed it. Making your way to your room, you picked clothing fit to work in (britches, a pair of boots, a cap to cover your hair that was currently pulled up into a ponytail, and a white buttoned up shirt) and walked back into the kitchen. Your parents were still seated at the tables, your baby sister in your mother's arms. You walked over to your mother and bent down to kiss her on her cheek, doing the same to your baby sister, who giggled in response.

You stood up, nodded to your father and made your way to the door. "I shall return later," you called behind your shoulder before you walked out the front door and made your way to the docks.

On the way there, you were greeted by people here and there. You smiled and returned their greeting as you continued to walk on. You thought about what your father had said earlier at the table. You could not help but frown in disappointment. You thought that after some time from working at the docks that your father would change his decision about you sailing out to sea.

_It appears that I was sadly mistaken, you thought. But maybe if I were to work for a while longer, surely Father will allow me to board a ship and sail out to sea?_

Before you knew it, you were standing at the docks, busy men scattered out and about, doing their jobs. You decided to think about what your father said later and then engulfed yourself in work.

Hours later, you were carrying a barrel down to one of the ships at the docks when you heard someone call out to you.

"Hey, (Alias), you go take a break. I'll handle things here until you return. But just don't take too long," a fellow coworker said.

You smiled and nodded your head in gratitude. You set down the barrel and walked away, not noticing said man try to lift the barrel you held only seconds ago struggled to carry it to a nearby ship.

As you walked into the market place, you wiped off a bit of sweat from your forehead and rubbed your hand on your pair of britches. When you were about to walk into a small shop that carried many different types of goods, you heard screams coming from behind you. You turned around, confused from all the noise to see people running all around you.

People shouted in fear, and you thought you heard someone yell out the word "pirates".  
You shook you head in disbelief. _No, pirates can't be here. We have nothing here any pirate would want, so why?_

Shaking the thoughts away, you ran to your house. As you made your way through the crowd of people, you heard a woman's scream. "No, please, stop! Let me go, I beg you!"

You stopped and turned to your left to see a woman being dragged away by a man you had never seen before. You could feel your heart drop as you witnessed the woman being forced away down to the currently burning docks. You looked at the woman, then to the direction your house was in and back again in panic.

_What should I do? Help this woman or ignore her and run home?_ After a moment of serious thought, you ran over the woman and stranger, who you assumed was a pirate. You could now clearly make out that she was crying as the man dragged away. No longer able to take it, you stopped in front of the two of them and shouted, "Release her!"

The man looked over to you and laughed a moment later.

"And what's a wee lad like yerself doing here? I think ye should mind yer own business," said the man. He had red hair and a playful glint in his striking green eyes.

You glared hard at him, refusing the urge to say a witty comeback to a person such as himself. _And I actually thought pirates were good when I was younger? What a fool I was._

"So ye refuse to talk, eh? If you don't mind, lad, I need to be on my way, so just move outta the way, would ye?"

"I refuse to simply walk away while you drag this defenseless woman away. Now, I will only say this once more. Release your hold on her," you spat, still glaring at the redheaded pirate.

Again, he laughed. You had had enough of this, though. While the man laughed, you took this as your chance and ran forward, your fist successfully making contact with his jaw. He, in response, loosened his hold on the woman as he stumbled back, looking at you with a somewhat surprised expression.

Taking this moment to your advantage, you grabbed the woman from the man's hold and shoved her in a different direction. She stopped and looked back, but turned and ran when she saw you wave her away.

"Ye should not have done that, lad."

Turning back to the man in front of you, you saw that he was now staring down at you, his eyes no longer supporting that playful glint like before. You admitted that you felt a bit intimidated by this, but held your ground. As your mother always told you "You reap what you sew."

You prepared yourself, waiting for the moment when the man would run up to you and beat you, but it never actually came. Instead, you heard a voice behind you ask, "Well now, what have we here?"

You quickly spun around to see a man dressed in quite a flashy manner smirking at the scene in front of him. You heard the man from earlier shift a bit from behind you. When you looked back at the him, you saw that he was standing straighter than he had been, and you also noticed that he seemed to be a bit nervous.

"Iain, who is this boy?" the man behind you asked the redhead you had guessed was Iain.

"Nothing but a lad who thinks he can simply do as he pleases without consequences, Cap'n," Iain replied, nodding to you.

_And you are one certainly to talk. But I almost forgot that I was still dressed as a boy. This may cause some trouble..._

"I am nothing you have just stated, you damned pirate," you spat at Iain. He narrowed his eyes and scowled at you in response.

There was a small and amused chuckle from behind you. You, again, turned to who you assumed was the captain, to see he had a mischievous grin and a certain glint to his emerald eyes.

"And just what is your name, boy?"

You blinked in a bit of shock from what the captain asked, but answered regardless, deciding to state your alias. "My name is (Alias)."

"Hm, I see. Now, if you do not mind, we shall take our leave. Iain, come along," the captain, still smirking, said as he nodded to you. He turned toward the docks, not waiting for Iain.

You stood there in confusion as you saw the captain and Iain retreat back to the docks, leaving you behind. You felt a rage surge through you, but also something else. You were at a loss for words to describe the feeling. Sadness, loneliness, a sort of longing feeling perhaps was it?

Your eyes widened and you shook your head as the very thought entered your mind. Remembering the situation you were, or had been, in, you called out, "And just where do you think you're going?"

The flashy captain ahead of you stopped, along with Iain, and turned to face you. "Oh, do you still need something? I was going to be generous and leave you unharmed, but if you absolutely insist." The captain shrugged. "Iain, grab the young lad and board him onto the ship. If he wishes for a fight, then he will have one."

As Iain nodded, you stared at the captain in horror. What he had said displeased you greatly, and the only thing you could think of to do was turn and run.

_Stupid! Why did I call out to them? They were clearly going to leave me be!_

You could hear Iain's calls behind you, but that hardly slowed you down any. You ran into town and did your best to lose him. Although, you weren't so worried at this, you had always been an excellent runner.

While you ran through different alleyways, you couldn't help but feel grateful not to be wearing any of those dreadful dresses your mother insisted you wear. "It isn't ladylike to dress like a boy, young lady," your mother had scolded you when you were younger.

_It may not be so, but it certainly would not help me any in this situation, now would it, Mother?_

You came to another alleyway and stopped. You rested your back to the wall of the building, panting. You kept quiet and waited for any sound, but you heard nothing. Smiling in triumph, you leaned your head against the wall and sighed, "Ha, that was all too easy. And they say pirates are so tough?"

"Getting cocky and letting your guard down isn't very wise."

Your eyes immediately snapped open and turned only to see the captain himself standing a foot or two away from you.

"B-but how?! I was so sure—" You began to stammer, stumbling backwards.

The captain smirked. "Please, it is hardly ever a good idea to underestimate a pirate, and the captain at that."

As you continued to walk backwards, your eyes wide in fear, the captain suddenly advanced, and before you knew it, you were suddenly on the ground, your jaw stinging in pain.

You cupped your bruising jaw and stared up at the captain in complete shock. He looked down at you, now frowning with a look of disappointment on his face. "Well now, that's too bad. I had hoped that after watching you give Iain that blow to the face, you had a bit more to offer. But I suppose I was wrong."

You suddenly felt a rage race through you. You dropped your arm from your face and stood up to face the captain.

"Ah, now that is more like it! I can even see the anger in your eyes. Come, then. Show me what you have to offer me." The captain smiled.

Without hesitation, you ran up to him and tried to land a good hit on his face, but he quickly avoided it and moved aside. You faced him and tried once more, only to show the same results as before.

"That will not work. If it did not the first time, then it most likely will not the second. Try something else, maybe?" the captain suggested, a bit of a bored look in his eyes.

This caused you to quench your fist tighter and glare at him. Just as you were about to lunge yourself at him, he ran to you and suddenly crouched down to the ground. Seconds later, you felt pain course through your stomach. You gasped and fell to the floor, curling in a ball and hugging your stomach.

"Come now. What are you, a girl? Because you are certainly fighting like one." The captain was now frowning as he stared down at you, the same look of disappointment in his eyes.

You looked up at him, sending him a fierce glare. This did nothing, though. You then tried your best to sit up, but the earlier blow to your stomach increased in pain. You soon gave up and rested your head on the floor.

"Really, how disappointing," the captain sighed.

"Ass," you spat out, glaring up at him once more.

"Now, now, there is no need for name calling, is there?" the captain asked, sending you a disapproving look as if you had actually cared.

"Stop messing around! If you wish to kill me then hurry and do so. I have no desire to continue this." You shut your eyes. _This is it. It is what I get, though, for actually believing pirates were good. It looks like they will be the death of me. I am sorry, Mother and Father. Take good care of my baby sister for me…_

Suddenly you heard the captain erupt with laughter. You opened your eyes and stared at him as if he were utterly mad. Though, you were starting to ponder over this. After a few moments of laughing, the captain reached up and wiped under his eye, as if a tear had escaped from laughing so hard.

"Kill you? Do you really wish to die so badly?" the captain asked, looking down at you with a smirk, the earlier laughter still in his eyes.

"Of course not, though, I assumed that was what you were here to do. Why else would you toy with me?" you replied.

"Just because I am a pirate does not mean I am heartless and go around killing every person I see. You, boy, are no exception."

You rolled your eyes and attempted to sit up again. Your stomach protested against it, but you ignored it and stared up at him.

"Now I really have no idea what to think of you. And please, stop calling me a boy."

The captain raised a confused eyebrow and asked, "Oh, and just what should I call you then? (Alias) was your name, correct? Or perhaps 'lad'?"

"Neither. If you are going to address me by my gender, then girl would be more appropriate. And also, my real name is (Name). (Alias) is just an alias I use when I work down at the docks." As you explained this to the captain, you reached up and took your cap off your head, noticing the sweat running down your forehead. You then proceeded to pull your hair out of its ponytail. You ran your hand through your hair, pleased that it wasn't in that awful and bothersome hold any longer, and looked up to see the captain staring down at you in complete shock.

"Oh please, enough with the act. I am sure it was obvious enough that I was a girl." You sat there and rolled your eyes.

"Love, if I had known you were a girl, I would not have even bothered with you," the captain told you honestly.

You looked up at him again to see he looked a bit troubled. "Don't tell me you regret all that you did just now, because it should not matter whether I am a girl or boy."

"Yes, well, believe it or not, I was raised to be a gentleman, and that meant not to lay even a finger on a woman."

You snorted and looked away, crossing your arms. "I refuse to believe that."

It was silent a moment more before you heard the captain approach you. You looked up and saw that he had his hand out to you. You furrowed your eyebrow. "What, you are trying to help me now?"

The captain simply nodded. You looked from his face to his out stretched hand. You grabbed it reluctantly; thinking that you would never be able to get up on your own.

When you stood, you placed a hand over your stomach and grimaced at the pain, but did not let the captain see this.

He glanced over at you and said, "I am curious, though."

"About what?" you asked.

"Why do you choose to dress up as a boy and work at the docks?"

You hesitated. _Why should I tell him? He is a pirate, for crying out loud. But…_ There was something in you that trusted him, which you couldn't quite understand, but regardless, you felt as if you could tell him anything. And in all honesty, it disgusted you.

"When I was young, I dreamt of sailing out to the sea one day, but my father always disapproved of this. He thought I would not be able to handle myself and that I would be killed. My mother also felt this way, though, I cannot blame them for thinking this. But they assumed it was something I would grow out of. However, I never did. So, eight months ago, give or take a few weeks, I asked them if I could work down at the docks. At first they refused to agree, but after I told them that it would be better than me going out to sea, they reconsidered. And so, I went down to the docks the next day and asked for work. Lucky for me, they were short a few people and allowed me to work."

You stared at the captain, curious as to how the he would respond.

"Your parents are right. The sea is no pace for a woman."

You shot him a glare. "Why? Just because I am a woman? Because all women must be weak? Please, enlighten me so I may understand."

"Women are fragile things. They should be left for things like cooking, sewing, and taking care of children, not sailing out to sea where storms and pirates, like myself, lurk," he told you, a blank look on his face.

You scowled at him. "I am not a fragile weakling. I hate cooking, sewing and, honestly, I hate children, the only exception being my younger sister. I would much rather be working at the docks or sailing the sea than do any of the things you claim women should do. And I also do not intend to argue with someone like you on a topic like this. You, who get to sail the sea every day, cannot possibly understand how I feel."

He shrugged, but then a sudden smirk made its way to his lips. He looked at you with mischief and you stared back in confusion. "If you wish to sail so badly, why not join me?"

Your eyes widened as you stared at him in shock. "Me join you? As in joining a _pirate crew_?"

He nodded, the smirk still there. "Unless you are too scared, that is. I certainly do not want the little miss to get frightened."

You glared at him again. "I am not scared! I have a family who would be terrified to know that their eldest daughter has suddenly disappeared."

"You choose, love. Stay with your family and most likely never sail, forced to marry some ungrateful man and bear him children, or join me and my crew and sail every day, never have to think about cooking or sewing and do almost anything you please. The pirate's life is wonderful, really."

You thought about what he said. _I want nothing more than to sail out to sea, but Father and Mother would surely miss me… Right?_

After thinking about this once in a life time decision, you looked up at the captain and nodded. "I agree to join your pirate crew."

The captain's smirk grew wider, and he clapped his hands together, obviously delighted. "Excellent! Now that we have that all settled, shall we be on our way?"

You nodded and followed the captain down to the docks, putting your hair back into a ponytail and covering it with your cap once again, staring in the direction your house lie.

_Mother, Father, please do not worry about me. And take good care of my precious sister. I promise to return. When, I do not know, but I will, and I will be stronger and prove to you that I am not a weak and defenseless girl._

When you both arrived at the docks, you approached a big ship, which you slightly paused to stare at it in awe, and notice someone standing at the dock right next to the ship. You soon realized that it was Iain.

"Oh, I had forgotten about him," you mumbled.

"Yes, well, when you ran off, I called him back and told him to wait for me here by the ship," the captain explained.

As you reached him, he looked to the captain and smirked. "What took ye so long, Cap'n? I was startin' to think ye had gotten lost or—" He stopped once he noticed you standing behind the captain. He pointed at you and shouted, "And just what do ye think yer doing here, eh?"

The captain raised a hand to silence Iain and explained the situation. "This young lad has agreed to join us, so from now on, he will be a part of the crew." After, he walked onto the deck, you and Iain following him. And as Iain stared at him in shock, you looked at him in confusion.

_Why is he referring to me like I am a boy? Surely he is not as idiotic as to have forgotten?_

He looked down at you, knowing you would be confused and whispered, "I will explain later." Then, in a louder voice, he said, with a smirk, "I, Arthur Kirkland, captain of this ship, welcome (Alias) as this crew's newest member. He will start work in the morning, so please," the captain smirked, sarcasm hinting in his voice, "do try to treat him nicely."

* * *

I'm hoping that I'll be able to update this soon, but you shouldn't be surprised if I don't. Thanks for reading, though, and excuse any and all mistakes and inaccuracies.

_life-in-a-tree-house_


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